Blehm wins co-angler title
Dennis Berhorst of Holts Summit, Missouri, weighed a five-bass limit totaling 21 pounds, 1 ounce Sunday to win the Walmart Bass Fishing League Ozark Division Super Tournament on Lake of the Ozarks with a two-day total of 10 bass weighing 39 pounds, 8 ounces. For his victory, Berhorst earned $8,349.
“I caught every fish that I brought to the scale by flipping boat docks on the lower end of the lake near the dam,” said Berhorst, who pushed his career earnings with FLW to more than $316,000. “The fish were active in anywhere from 2 to 10 feet of water.
“On Saturday I caught 11 keepers fairly quick,” continued Berhorst. “I eased up on my spots around 10 a.m., knowing I had to fish there again on Sunday. It took me a little longer to catch my limit on Sunday because the fish had moved and I had to make a few adjustments. I still managed to catch nine keepers.”
Berhorst said he used one bait throughout the entire tournament – a green-pumpkin Chompers Boss Hawg.
“I’ve won a lot of prize money on that bait,” said Berhorst. “The Boss Hawg gets the job done.”
The top 10 boaters finished the tournament in:
1st: Dennis Berhorst, Holts Summit, Mo., 10 bass, 39-8, $6,349 + $2,000 Ranger Cup Bonus
2nd: David Ryan, Levasy, Mo., 10 bass, 34-0, $3,175
3rd: Joe Brantley, Willard, Mo., 10 bass, 33-12, $2,117
4th: Donovan Hensley , Nixa, Mo., 10 bass, 33-7, $1,481
5th: Charlie Bogard, O’Fallon, Mo., 10 bass, 33-6, $1,270
6th: Lawson Hibdon, Versailles, Mo., 10 bass, 33-3, $1,164
7th: James Dill, Laurie, Mo., 10 bass, 10 bass, 32-10, $1,058
8th: Roger Fitzpatrick, Eldon, Mo., 10 bass, 30-11, $952
9th: Chris Bunk, Sullivan, Mo., eight bass, 30-9, $847
10th: John Sapper, De Soto, Mo., nine bass, 30-4, $741
Mark Tucker of Kirkwood, Missouri, caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the pro division Friday. The fish weighed 6 pounds, 5 ounces and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $885.
Mitchell Blehm of Walnut Grove, Missouri, won the co-angler division and $3,175 with a two-day total of seven bass weighing 18 pounds, 15 ounces.
The top 10 co-anglers were:
1st: Mitchell Blehm, Walnut Grove, Mo., seven bass, 18-15, $3,175
2nd: Jay Myers, Hillsboro, Mo., six bass, 17-8, $1,587
3rd: William Hoffert, Columbia, Mo., eight bass, 17-6, $1,059
4th: Matt Wertheimer, Arnold, Mo., five bass, 16-1, $741
5th: Brock Swafford, Wichita, Kan., six bass, 15-7, $635
6th: B.J. Hicks, Richmond, Mo., five bass, 15-0, $582
7th: Dennis Spell, Bonne Terre, Mo., five bass, 14-6, $529
8th: Ryan Jordan, Saint Charles, Mo., six bass, 13-10, $476
9th: Matt Masters, Branson, Mo., five bass, 12-15, $423
10th: Tyler Branson, Jefferson City, Mo., six bass, 12-15, $370
Hicks caught the biggest bass of the tournament in the co-angler division and earned the day’s Big Bass award of $442.
The top 50 boaters and 50 co-anglers based on point standings now qualify for the Oct. 15-17 Regional Championship on Kentucky Lake in Gilbertsville, Kentucky. Boaters will compete for a top award of a Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard and $20,000, while co-anglers will fish for a new Ranger Z518C with a 200-horsepower Evinrude or Mercury outboard.
The BFL is a 24-division circuit devoted to weekend anglers, with 120 tournaments throughout the season, five in each division. The top 50 boaters and co-anglers from each division qualify for a regional tournament and compete to finish in the top six, which then qualifies them for one of the longest-running championships in all of competitive bass fishing – the Walmart BFL All-American. Top winners in the BFL can move up to the Rayovac FLW Series or even the Walmart FLW Tour.
ABOUT FLW
FLW is the industry’s premier tournament-fishing organization, providing anglers of all skill levels the opportunity to compete for millions in prize money nationwide in 2015 over the course of 240 tournaments across five tournament circuits, four of which provide an avenue to the sport’s richest payday and most coveted championship trophy – the Forrest Wood Cup. FLW tournament fishing can be seen on the Emmy-nominated “FLW” television show and is broadcast to more than 564 million households worldwide, making it the most widely distributed weekly outdoors-sports television show in the world.
By: Brian Johnson, FLW
